Closed-Loop Cruises: Everything You Need to Know

Table Of Content

• Travel document requirements for sailings from Japanese homeports
• Celebrity Blog
• Open-Loop Cruises
• New England and Canada
• How do I know if I can sail without a passport?
• Travel document requirements for sailings from U.S. homeports (excluding Honoulu, Hawaii & Seward, Alaska)
• Closed-Loop Cruises: The One Passport-Required Exception

In Alaska, also known as the Land of the Midnight Sun, you can see spectacular, icy glaciers by boat or seaplane, watch for whales and try your hand at dog sledding.

Travel document requirements for sailings from Japanese homeports

A passport is not just a dependable means of identification, but it’s also crucial in case guests need to unexpectedly travel by air to or from the U.S. during their cruise. The absence of a passport could lead to significant issues and delays. Passport books should be valid for at least 3 months or 6 months after the end of the cruise, depending on the destination countries’ requirements. Disney Cruise Lines also suggests travelers carry a second government-issued photo ID while in port. Even though passports aren’t currently required for U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line strongly recommends traveling with a valid passport book.

Celebrity Blog

Our comprehensive guide shares the steps to take if you find yourself in this situation. Rushed expedited service is a better choice when you have a tight schedule. Rushed service can be completed within 14 days—also not including mailing times. Again, to avoid potential delays with the postal service, you could make an appointment at the nearest Regional Passport Agency.

Open-Loop Cruises

You can visit this gorgeous, historic island on round-trip cruises from Boston and other East Coast ports. Swim with dolphins, visit the Royal Navy Dockyard or scuba dive to a shipwreck. When traveling outside of the U.S. a passport is always recommended, but cruises are the exception to the rule. As long as you book a closed loop cruise, you can travel to certain destinations without a passport.

New England and Canada

After you pull into port in the Big Apple, make sure to see a Broadway show, visit the Empire State Building and take a stroll through Central Park. (Foreign-flagged lines are not allowed to sail between U.S. ports without visiting another country under the Jones Act.) You can do a week on the ship from Honolulu and visit five Hawaiian Islands. If you are age 16 and up, and without a passport, you will also need to present a photo I.D. Nevertheless, any child who is traveling solo or with an individual who isn’t their parent or guardian requires the appropriate papers demonstrating their identity and authorization to voyage by themselves. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which mandates that cruise passengers traveling inside the Americas must be in possession of a valid passport, establishes the parameters for closed-loop cruises.

Castaway Cay, Disney's private island, is an incredibly popular destination that only Disney Cruise Line sails to. An Alaskan cruise is one of the most popular closed-loop cruise options in the US. If departing from the United States, Alaska cruises depart from Seattle, San Francisco, or Los Angeles.

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Travel document requirements for sailings from U.S. homeports (excluding Honoulu, Hawaii & Seward, Alaska)

While it’s true that you don’t need a passport for most US closed-loop cruises, you must present two forms of ID to board a closed-loop cruise ship. Without geographic restrictions, ships with an open itinerary can travel farther and often stop at more ports. This may also entail visiting places that other cruises would not have the time or ability to visit, such as more exotic locations. The benefit of taking these “round-trip cruises” is that American travelers don’t necessarily need a passport as long as the trip begins and ends at the same U.S.A. port. However, you must understand the nuances of the itinerary you choose if you don’t have a passport, even if you have a travel agent to help guide you. Discover the rocky coasts of New England and eastern Canada on a closed loop cruise from Boston or New York City.

Closed-Loop Cruises: The One Passport-Required Exception

Having a passport on hand can give you more flexibility and spontaneity to explore new destinations. If you have a medical emergency while on the ship and need to fly back home before the cruise ends, you may need a passport to board the plane. In some cases, a passport is the only acceptable travel document to enter a foreign country for medical treatment or evacuation.

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Or relax in the leafy serenity of Eden, or dine al fresco in the lovely Rooftop Garden Grill. Set sail from Fort Lauderdale on the brand new Celebrity Apex, the second in Celebrity Cruises’ award-winning Edge series. You’ll spend a day at quirky, colorful Key West, where you can try stand-up paddleboarding or join a cycling tour through the palm-lined streets of this happily eccentric place.

Check with your cruise line for any restrictions on hairdryer packing for cruise. You may be surprised to learn that U.S. citizens don't need a passport to sail on "closed-loop" cruises with lines like Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and others. It is the individual guest’s responsibility to confirm travel visa requirements with the destination’s embassy or consulate. Exploring Alaska, Mexico, Grand Cayman, the Caribbean, or the Bahamas on a closed-loop cruise can be thrilling.

The process of going on a cruise brings along with it a wide variety of different implications that many people don’t think about. When you go on a cruise, you are typically doing so through various types of international waters worldwide. As a result, the United States Customs and Border Patrol will treat the voyage the same way you would if you traveled internationally by plane, for example – and you will have to go through the same process. Additionally, without a U.S. passport, getting home or catching up with the trip could be challenging if you miss the ship in one of the ports. Rather, you’ll see terms like “return trip cruise” or “two-way cruises.” Check each itinerary very closely.

For those without a passport, a closed-loop cruise can be a great option. While the Caribbean and the Bahamas top the list of popular destinations, the Mediterranean follows closely behind, as well as Alaska, Australasia, and mainland Europe. In general, Caribbean islands only require photo ID from a U.S. citizen. For U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), you must have your photo ID plus your Permanent Resident Card (I-551/Green Card).

U.S. citizens on closed loop cruises have two options for providing documentation to re-enter the U.S. from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean for sea border crossings at the end of their trip. They can present a passport, passport card or Enhanced Driver's License (EDL) and only need to show one document. Citizens, including permanent residents, may need a passport and a visa to enter the United States, depending on their country of origin. Moreover, some cruise lines may require all passengers, regardless of citizenship, to carry a valid passport to board the ship.

They often stop in Vancouver, British Columbia (in Canada), to pick up more cruise passengers. REAL ID cards cannot be used for border crossings into Canada, Mexico or other international travel. The short answer is that EDLs can be used for limited border crossings and is only available in specific border states. Whereas a Real ID is available in all states, it cannot be used to cross borders like an EDL or passport. While U.S. Customs recommend an Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) as a passport alternative, very few states offer this form of government-issued ID. A cruise that departs from one port and arrives/ends at a separate port of call is known as an “Open-Jaw Cruise.” Sometimes they’re referred to as “Open Loop” or “Repositioning” cruises.

On the other hand, open-loop cruises always require a valid U.S. passport for American travelers. Open-loop cruises start in one U.S. port and conclude in a different U.S. port. An example would be a 16-day Panama Canal cruise that sets sail from Seattle and ends its journey in New Orleans. Open-loop cruises require guests to present and carry a valid passport book with (typically) at least 6 months of validity remaining after the last date of their cruise. There are currently more than 2,000 ports worldwide for travelers to explore.

The itineraries of closed-loop cruises begin and end in the same port. For purposes of this conversation, that port is in the United States (even though the term “closed loop cruise” could be used to describe a cruise that starts and ends in the same city in another country). The Enhanced Driver’s License allows you to re-enter the U.S. from Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean and is valid at land and sea border crossing but not airports. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) provides a detailed description of the requirements. If you have any questions, check with your travel agent or cruise line. You don’t want to be turned away at the pier for lack of proper identification.